The sight of free-flowing indoor and outdoor spaces is becoming increasingly common. A fantastic way to capitalise on the room available in solid oak kitchens without needing to invest in an extension, creating an open-plan kitchen and garden area is the ideal solution for homes that are short on space. This new trend also allows you to enjoy the splendour of your garden – whatever the weather!

The presence of plants is said to have a calming effect, so by opening up your kitchen you immediately create a more relaxed atmosphere (which would be perfect for a long and lazy lunch). Though the English weather might not always behave as we would like (not very often at all actually!), bringing the outdoors indoors with bi-folding glass doors or French doors, for example, can make your kitchen and dining area feel brighter and five times as spacious.

Image courtesy of multifolddoors.co.uk

These elegant and functional bi-folding doors help to bring plenty of natural light into this open-plan kitchen and living area.

Though the room stretches back quite a distance, light is able to travel far into the room.

This kitchen opens onto an alfresco dining area, too, so meals can be easily transferred from countertop to table.

This beautiful country kitchen extends into a combined conservatory and dining area, which allows plenty of natural light to infiltrate the entire kitchen. The oak beams in this part of the room complement the oak flooring, cabinets and worktops perfectly.

Image courtesy of housebeautiful.com

With no visible frame, these glass panels let stacks of light into the small kitchen area.

White walls and a glossy floor are excellent choices for reflecting the natural light around the room, and the open wall shelving provides only a minor obstruction to the flow of light throughout the space.

Clearly these homeowners love the fresh air, and can sit outside for breakfast whenever the weather allows.

Image courtesy of houzz.com

Admire the stunning view whilst cooking up a storm in this fresh and airy kitchen.

Folding French doors provide access for the maximum amount of light, and have been painted to match the wooden cabinetry.

This style of kitchen allows you to enjoy fresh air whilst sitting at the breakfast bar; alternatively, you would feel free to move outside into the sunshine.

Image courtesy of southcoastbifolds.co.uk

The simple design of this patio door makes for maximum utility. With a single fold in the middle of the two panels, you can choose whether to use this feature as a regular door, or open out both the panels.

This style of door is particularly handy if you frequently host parties or barbeques, allowing guests to roam freely – with no queuing!

This month, we are feeling wonderfully inspired by striking shades of teal. This beautiful, rich colour is not only stunning in solid wood kitchens, but in the rest of the home, too. In June’s ‘Colours of the Month’ we take a look at Vardo and Inchyra Blue by Farrow & Ball, both of which are brand new paint shades this year! These sumptuous hues look fantastic paired with Wimborne White, a clean and crisp colour that completes our run-down of favourite shades for June.

Farrow & Ball’s Vardo is a vivacious and energetic shade that makes an ideal choice for feature walls as well as finer detailing. This flamboyant hue is sure to bring life to any house, and looks fabulously fresh alongside bright whites. To heighten the sense of depth in a room, why not team Vardo with accents of Cornforth White or Pale Powder?

Wimborne White is a wise complement for bold shades, adding the necessary lift to ensure rooms are not overwhelmed by strong colour choices. Thanks to an added drop of warm pigment, this hue offers a pleasingly soft and versatile variation of white.

Inchyra Blue is a beautiful new colour from our favourite paint manufacturers: marvellous and slightly moody, this shade incorporates blue and grey pigments for a look that combines sultry flair with a sense of luxury. Exhibiting fantastically dark tones and hints of luscious colour, Inchyra Blue makes an excellent alternative to charcoal.

Our solid oak cabinet frontals are available in a comprehensive range of finishes, including any colour from Farrow & Ball’s extensive collection of high-quality paints. If you would like to receive cabinet door samples painted in one of these attractive shades – or any other from Farrow & Ball – please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Love this colour palette? For more inspiration, visit our Tempting Teal board on Pinterest!

The newest item to join our fabulous collection of accessories for oak kitchens, these solid oak spice racks are the perfect solution for creating clutter-free work surfaces and tidy cupboards.

Our solid oak storage solution makes all your herbs and spices easy to find, and provides the perfect space for storing them all together. Furthermore, by freeing up much-needed room on your wooden kitchen worktops, cooking can now become an organised and hassle-free experience.

This wooden spice organiser measures 400mm (W) x 400mm (H) x 70mm (D), and is perfectly sized for installation inside a 500mm-wide cabinet door. However, if you would prefer to fix the spice rack to a wall in your kitchen or pantry, it can be attached easily with the addition of a few small L-brackets.

Made with a frame of solid European oak, our spice racks have been built to serve you well for many years to come, and come with a hard-wearing lacquer finish.

If you would like to contact us to learn more about these high-quality wooden spice organisers for oak kitchens, please feel free to telephone us on 0345 22 22 990, or email us at .

Kitchen islands make a stunning feature in solid wood kitchens – but don’t just take our word for it! Seeing is believing – as they say – and as such this week we would like to share some beautiful and inspiring images of island units with you (if you’re not already planning a kitchen makeover, you may well be after taking a look at the fabulous designs below…!).

This stunning wooden kitchen island combines a beautiful oak worktop with two radius corners, oak cabinetry and painted tongue and groove end panels to form a functional work space with a built-in breakfast bar.

Whilst this kitchen island unit is sizeable, the use of pale Hardwick White by Farrow & Ball for the cabinet frontals creates a light, airy vibe that works wonderfully well alongside the elegant wooden flooring.

Okay, we admit it: we cheated a little because this island isn’t entirely detached. However, this is a splendid example of designing a kitchen island to suit the available space. Whilst a ‘full’ kitchen island would have been unrealistic in a room of these proportions, this extra-wide work surface is perfect for providing a much-needed space for baking en masse and storing all those recipe books!

This charming kitchen island can be found at our flagship showroom in Quedgeley. With Shaker cabinetry painted in Farrow & Ball’s Cord, luxurious full stave oak worktops with radius corners and an end grain butchers block made from walnut and maple, this island would make an outstanding addition to any kitchen.

The bold colour choice for this kitchen island really transforms it into a stunning feature. Adjacent to cabinetry with frontals painted in a softer hue – such as Farrow & Ball’s Shaded White or Hardwick White – statement island units like this can take the spotlight without looking too stark. A stylish kitchen that is ideal for both cooking and entertaining.

Lavish full stave Prime Oak worktops are only equalled in elegance by the beautiful pairing of Clunch and Vert De Terre on the cabinets in this kitchen. Soft green Vert De Terre provides a stunning accent colour for this kitchen island, and adds depth to a predominantly cream colour palette.

Combining bright accessories with cabinet frontals in Blue Ground and All White by Farrow & Ball ensures that this kitchen exudes plenty of retro charm. The addition of a white countertop produces a quirky, patriotic effect (the colour scheme is reminiscent of the Union Jack flag!), whilst the wooden work surface on the sideboard brings warmth to the kitchen as a whole.

To find out more about devising your own solid wood kitchen island, please don’t hesitate to contact us by telephoning 0345 22 22 990, or by sending an email to .

Fans of traditional kitchens may be interested to find out a little more about our beautiful Belfast sinks from Rangemaster. The perfect complement to solid oak kitchens, these glossy white sinks make both a stunning feature and a functional washing-up area.

The high-lustre finish of a Rangemaster Belfast sink provides a hygienic surface that is easy-to-clean. A classic single bowl design and square basin maximises the room available too, providing ample space for all your washing-up. This high quality ceramic sink comes with a traditional weir waste overflow that is both a practical and charming attribute.

Quintessentially British, the Belfast sink is an excellent choice, particularly for a farmhouse or cottage kitchen. Furthermore, this kitchen component is not only gorgeous but – having been crafted from resilient fire clay ceramic – is also robust: it truly has been built to stand the test of time.

This sink measures 595mm (W) x 455mm (D) with a bowl height of 220mm; it’s also reversible, meaning that it can accommodate any kitchen layout.